Amalgamator



(No Model.)

G. PONTEZ.

AMALGAMATOR. No. 256,733. Patented Apr.18,1882.

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UNITED n STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES PONTEZ, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

AMALGAMATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 256,733, dated April18, 1882,

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES PONTEZ, of

Omaha, in the county of Douglas and Stateof Nebraska, have invented anew and usefullmprovement in Amalgamators, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation ofmy improvement. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the wet amalgamator,taken through the line 00 m, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is asectional side elevationof the lower part of the wet amalgamator, taken through the line 314Fig. 2, and shown with the amalgamating-plates removed.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre-- sponding parts.

. The object of this invention is to facilitate the separation of finegold from silicious or black sand.

The invention consists in the peculiar combination of dry and wetamalgamating mechanisms, whereby the gold-bearing sand in a dry state,after being thoroughly charged with quicksilver, is subjected to theaction of water and caused to pass over a series of amalgamating-plates,as will be hereinafter fully described.

A represents an ordinary steam-engine, one end of the piston-rod B ofwhich worksan ordinary double-actin g pump, 0, to force a continuousstream of water through the pipe D. The other end of the piston-rodBworks an ordinary air-pump, E, to force air through the pipe F into theair-chamber G. From the aircompressor G a small pipe, H, leads to and isconnected with the end of a tubular shaft, I, which revolvcsin suitablesupports and passes through the center of a large tube, J.

To the tubular shaft I is attached a spiral flange, K, fitting into thetube J, the tubular shaft and its spiral flange forming afeed'screw. Thetubular shaftIis finely perforated to allow the air forced into the saidshaft to escape in every direction in fine jets. The tube J is open atboth ends, is set in an inclined position, and its lower end isconnected with and opens into an air-tight box or chamber, L.

With the upper end of the tube J isconnected the spout or apron M,through which the sand to be operated upon is fed into the said tube JWith the upper part of the tube J is connected a reservoir, N, forquicksilver, the discharge-pipe O of which is enlarged toward its lowerend, and is provided with a valve, P, to regulate the escape of thequicksilver, and

with a diaphragm, Q, of chamois-leather or and bytheflange of the saidshaft, so that every particle ofsand will be brought into contact withthe quicksilver. The air-pipe H is provided with a valve, t, forcontrolling and stopping the blast of air, as desired. As the sand andamalgamated gold enter the box L they are struck by a blast of aircoming from the compressed-air chamber G through the pipe S, and areforced up through the pipe T, the lower end of which enters the box Land is flared, so that the sand, the amalgamated gold, and the air willenter it readily. The upper end of the pipe T is connected with andopens into the pipe D, so as to discharge the sand and amalgamated goldinto the current of water passing through the said pipe D, to be carriedalong by and with the passing water. With this construction the currentof wa ter passing through the pipe D serves as a cushion to prevent thesand from impinging against the wall of the said pipe and wearing it,and also by passing the opening leading into the pipe T tends to form avacuum in the said pipe, and thus assists the air-blast to raise thesand and amalgamated gold through the said pipe T. As the sand,amalgamated gold, and water escape from the pipe D they strike againstthe distributer U, which is lined with compressed paper-pulp V toprevent it from being worn by the sand. This distributer U guides thewater, sand, and amalgamated gold to and spreads them over the upperpart of the upper amalgamating-plate, W. The plates Ware coated withamalgam in the ordinary manner, and are inserted alternately throughslits in the casing X, which is supported by a frame, Y. TheplatesWincline alternately in opposite directions, and the lower edge ofeach plate does not extend quite to the casing X, a space being left forthe water, sand, and unamalgamated gold to pass from the lower edge ofeach upper plate to the upper part of the next lower plate. The plates Ware supported by the side of the casing X, through which they pass, andby cross-bars or rods Z, attached to a standard or rod, a, which passesvertically through the center of the upright amalgamating-box X. Thelower end of the standard or rod a rests in a socket, b, at the bottomof the box X, and its upper part passes through a bar of the frame Y andhas a screwthread out upon it to receive a hand-nut, 0, so that the saidrod acan be raised and lowered to regulate the inclination of the platesW by turning the said nut c. The plates W are each madein two parts, asshown in Fig. 2, so that they can be readily inserted and removed, andare provided with handles d at their upper edges for convenience inhandling them. At the lower end of the casing X the sand and waterescape into the trough-box or sluice 0, through which they are conductedout-of the way, and which may be lined with skins placed in the saidbox, hair upward, to catch any particles of gold that may remain in thesand.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An amalgamator constructed substantially as herein shown anddescribed, and containing the following elements, viz: a mixingtube inwhich rotates a conveyor and air-distributer and having aquicksilver-atomizer attached, a receiving-box connected with themixing-tube and with an air-compressor, a transferpipe through which thecontents of the receiving-box are projected by an air-blast into awater-pipe, and a water-forcing device by which the contents of thewater-pipe are carried into an amalgamating-box and delivered upon aseries of plates arranged within the box, all as set forth.

2. The combination, with the chamber Gr, having pipe H, of theperforated tubular shaft I, having spiral flange K, the inclinedopenended tube J, the air-tight chamber L, and the apron M, as and forthe purpose described.

3. The combination, with the tube J and a quicksilver-reservoir, N,connected therewith, of the discharge-pipe O, enlarged toward its lowerend, having the valve P, and provided with an atomizingdiaphragm, Q, asand for the purpose described.

4. The combination, with the pipe D, of the distributer U and the upperadjustable amalgamating-platesinclinedin opposite directions and comingshort of the casing, as and for the purpose specified.

5. In an amalgamator, the combination, with the mixing-tube J, of thereceiving-box L, the air-blast pipe S, conductor-pipe T, and waterpipeD,substantially as herein shown and described.

6. In an amalgamator,the combination, with the perforated air-shaft I,tube J, and receiving-box L, of an air chamber, G, and pipes-H S,substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the contents oftube J will be subjected to air-blasts, as set forth.

7. In an amalgamator, the combination, with the pipe D and the plates W,of the distributer U, substantially as herein shown and described,whereby the contents of pipe D will be spread upon the said plates W, asset forth.

8. In an amalgamator, the distributer U, con structed with aface-lining, V, substantially as described, whereby the wearing of thesaid distributer is prevented, as set forth.

9. The method of transferring the amalgamated gold and sand to the wetamalgamating mechanism, which consists in forcing the said amalgamatedgold and sand by means of a blast of compressed air into a stream ofwater that flows into the wet amalgamating-box, as set forth.

CHAR-LES PONTEZ. \Vitnesses:

W. SIMERAL, FRANK M. WINNIE.

